Heavy Choice to Make
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Loki has never taken well to the heat, but when the strangely hot and dry summer in Asgard causes fires to spread around the kingdom, injuring dozens, the only healer in the palace that knows how to treat Loki's fever may be called away, leaving the brothers without the answers they need to save Loki's life. Pre-Thor
1. Part One

A/N: Okay, I'm going to take a moment to rant, because I just lost an entire chapter's worth of edits. There are some obvious things that FF . net needs to look into and I just added another one to my list: Don't allow the system to log me out if I'm **IN THE MIDDLE OF EDITING**! I get to the end of the bloody edits, hit 'save' and it says 'please log in' and gives me no option to save all my work... I love this site in that I love the people on here, but there are some basic bits that desperately need attention.

(Now on to my author's notes that I hope I can remember from before)

I forgot how much I love rain and thunderstorms... When it doesn't rain for weeks and weeks on end and then a glorious thunderstorm rolls through North Texas, most people go crazy, I just become absurdly happy and go wander around in it. Loving the cooler temperatures... Poor Loki. He might not have to suffer through the heat as much if I didn't. Poor guy.

**Please note: This is part of my Thor and Loki series. If you'd like to see the order they should be read in, check out my profile! **

* * *

**Heavy Choice to Make**

_Though the pressure's hard to take_

_It's the only way I can escape_

_It seems a heavy choice to make_

_And now I am under all_

~ _Never Let Me Go_, Florence + the Machines

He was sure that the summer heat had never been _this_ bad. From as early in his childhood as he could remember the hot months were his least favorite. It wasn't as if Asgard's weather was prone to wild fluctuation, but every few centuries they would receive a stretch of time that was, in the second prince's opinion, unbearable.

Master Rowen had told him time and again that some Aesir were simply born with weaker constitutions than others. The heat had always drained him of energy and left him listless and at times feverish, but Asgard's lead healer seemed confident, at least to Loki's face, that it was not entirely abnormal. Everyone had one thing or another that affected them poorly.

"Not Thor," the younger prince had groused more than once when this had been the only explanation for the illness.

"Even Thor," Rowen had answered with a knowing smile.

To Loki, though, it had been one more thing to make him stand out from the other boys his age. It was one more strike against the smaller, weaker brother of the mighty Thor. It had sent him into fits of tears as a child - not that _that_ had helped at all - and then he'd tried to hide it from everyone. That, of course, had made it all the more embarrassing when his knees gave out and he'd hit the ground, fever spiking in the hottest days of the summer months. Thor had joined in with the laughter the first time, and even the second time, but by the third time that summer - the last summer it had been unbearable, some five centuries back - he'd grown afraid when his younger brother did not stir. He had never mocked Loki for it again.

They were older now, and the younger prince had long since given up trying to be what he was not. He spent the warmer days entirely indoors, as far away from the heat as possible. So he sat and read, studying and learning in his rooms, ignoring anything that might have led him out into the heat.

He barely had time to glance up at the knock at the door when it burst open, Thor traipsing in. He was all grins that afternoon, dressed for practice in the arena and drenched in sweat. Loki wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Please, come in, brother. Waiting for an invite is not customary at all."

The blond rolled his eyes. "I knocked."

"You do realize that it is meant to ask permission to enter, not to simply announce," the younger prince growled irritable, returning to his book.

Thor's mood seemed to dampen at the sharp words and he perched himself on the arm of his brother's chair. "You've been hiding away," he grumbled sulkily.

"Have you _been_ outside? No, don't answer that. There's no need. Do you mind keeping your distance? You smell."

The thunderer laughed as the dark haired trickster sent him tumbling off the arm. He knelt there, arms folders against the place he had just been sitting and set his chin against them. Blue eyes looked up, amusement shining. "You can't stay cooped up as you have."

"I'm perfectly fine indoors," Loki grumbled. At his brother's pleading look he sighed and set his book down on the small table. "You know I shouldn't. I'd much prefer not entering into all stages of embarrassment this afternoon."

"The heat hasn't made you ill in _years_," the elder prince stressed.

"Because I know to avoid it."

"What if you've outgrown it?"

"I have not."

"You don't know that. You haven't tried going into it."

"Master Rowen-"

"Doesn't even know what was wrong. He is a talented healer, I'll give him that, but Father is not wrong that Mother coddles you. You know it's on her order that Master Rowen advises you to stay in during the hot months,"

"Is that what Father says?" Loki asked, voice undecided between irritable and hurt.

"Come, brother, just you and me. No one else. If you begin to feel ill all you must do is say so. You know I will listen."

"You never do, why should now be any different?"

Thor looked stung by the words and shifted, his blue eyes more earnest than Loki thought possible for one to be. "I promise I'll listen. We'll go to the small pond in the woods, just like when we were young. Please, Loki?"

The second prince felt his resolve melting away and he glanced towards the pulled drapes, the sun only breaking through in a few places. It had been years since he had had grown ill, and Thor had a point that they could not be sure he was still affected by it if he steered away from it every year. "Fine," he said at last and his brother leapt to his feet, grabbing Loki's arm and pulling him up as well. The trickster only squirmed for a moment as he was pulled into a crushing embrace.

"You'll see. You're a son of Odin. Weakness is not in our blood."

It was meant as encouragement, Loki knew, but he couldn't help but feel the unease begin to take hold.

* * *

Halfway there Loki was growing more and more certain this was a terrible idea. Though every time he thought he might voice it to Thor he couldn't quite bring himself to. While the heat drained him, it seemed to invigorate his brother and the blond seemed thrilled to be on their way.

Thor stopped abruptly and turned when he realized his brother was lagging behind. His gaze was worried, as if second guessing his own enthusiasm at the site. Loki offered his best smile, though he hardly felt he was convincing the other. "We're almost there, no reason to turn back now."

Blue eyes studied him and the thunderer frowned. "Perhaps-"

"No, you don't get to say that now," Loki said as he pushed past him. The water, at least would be cool. They'd visited the spot in their youth, their mother often taking them to the deep-shaded pond.

Thor nodded and they continued, though he slowed his pace to match his brother's. They reached the hidden pond some few minutes later, the younger prince strangely red in the face and short of breath. He sat on a fallen log as Thor kicked his boots from his feet and stripped down to the barest amount of clothing for the swim. Loki followed suit, though much slower and with more care for for his garments than the elder prince showed.

"You don't look well," Thor said bluntly as he stood at the water's edge.

"I'll be better once I've cooled down."

The blond grinned widely as he stepped closer, and, without warning, picked his younger brother up and tossed him into the water.

Loki resurfaced sputtering and cursing, though it did not last as Thor jumped in as well, water flying all around them. The trickster couldn't help but laugh as the blond prince came back up, hair flattened across his face. He sank down again, the water pushing it back. He began kicking up, but floundered a bit as he felt thin hands on his shoulders and that allowed him to top just long enough to catch a breath before he was back down again.

The brothers wrestled around, Loki able to get the upper hand on Thor once or twice while in the water. Laughter echoed through the surrounding woods until they had worn themselves out, each taking to the bank.

Thor glanced over. "How are you feeling, brother?"

"Well," Loki answered cheerfully, using his magic to cause the water to splash his brother in the face. "Perhaps you were right afterall. I just needed to push through it."

Thor returned the splash, though his with a swinging arm and a mini-tidal wave that completely submerged the younger prince. He waited for him to swim back to the side from where the wave had knocked him. "I told you, did I not? The sons of Odin have no weakness in them!" He laughed loudly as Loki rolled his eyes.

"Idiot," the younger prince murmured as he pulled himself from the water and laid face up on the grass, staring at the thick trees above them. It was quiet and peaceful there, and he tried to remember how long it had been that just he and his brother had had quite as much fun as they had that day.

Loki had returned to the palace without further incident, tired and dragging, but Thor had been a bit as well. He'd seemed happy and well when his elder brother left him, so when the blond prince woke to a strange sound coming from the room next to his, it caused concern.

Thor shifted from his bed, padding over to the far wall where a small door still remained, always closed as the had grown much too tall for it. It had been their secret passage to each other in their childhood, one that had been built when the two toddler princes had thrown tantrums over being split into two rooms. Now its only use was to allow bits of sound through that might not have made it past the thick walls. Usually it was limited to the strained sounds of a nightmare the younger brother couldn't free himself from, but tonight as Thor knelt and listened, he could only cringe and feel guilty at the painful coughing and choking sounds he could hear.

After a moment of thought, weighing his brother's dignity and pride against necessity, he stood and left his room, pulling at the door to Loki's. The younger prince had told him once that he had placed wards at his door to keep people from entering without permission, but he'd made an exception for Thor as he knew his brother would be too stubborn and would try to get through them anyway.

Loki was not visible when he first entered, but Thor heard a terrible sound coming from the washroom. He peered in, seeing him leaned over the side of the tub and retching anything he'd eaten that day into it. Finally he stopped, easing down onto his knees and resting his head against the cool white tub.

"Loki?" the blond called quietly, not wanting to startle the younger prince. He saw him tense, but gave no other sign that he'd heard his brother as he began another round of choking and coughing. Thor lingered back, unsure of what he could do. His brother's hair was plastered down with sweat, his skin tinged red as if he'd been burned by the sun, and he was gripping the sides of the tub so tightly that his knuckles had turned white against it. His breathing came in short, pained gasps and Thor finally knelt beside him, unsure what he should do.

"Just... give me a moment," Loki managed, suddenly leaned over the edge again. His green eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his entire body tensed as if he were trying to keep from from following the same pattern he'd been at. He seemed to win this round and he eased back down again, looking worn.

Thor reached a large hand to the side of his face, feeling the warmth radiating from it. He frowned and stood slowly, motioning for his brother to stay where he was. He returned a moment later with a glass of water.

Loki accepted it with trembling hands and choked on the first couple of sips. Slowly, he coaxed it down his raw throat until his stomach began to roll again. A groan escaped his thin lips and he found worried blue eyes staring at him. "I'm alright," he said, or at least tried to, but the sound barely made it from him. He painfully cleared his throat and forced himself to take another sip of water. "I don't think... I've outgrown it."

"Perhaps not," his brother agreed and hastily took the glass as the younger prince lost what he had drunk over the side of the tub. He frowned deeply. "How long have you been in here?"

Green eyes flickered back and Loki ran one thin hand across his mouth. "I don't know. A while."

Thor nodded. "When you're well enough, I'll help you to your bed and fetch Master Rowen."

"He can't do anything for it," Loki mumbled, eyelids drooping dangerously. He had been leaned up against the tub, but slipped suddenly and would have hit the floor had his brother not reached out to catch him. He gave a pained moan and Thor tightened his hold on him.

"Easy, little brother," the thunderer said softly and stood, balancing the long-limbed trickster against his broad chest and setting the half finished glass on a small washroom table. Worry bubbled in him as Loki curled closer.

He moved slowly out into the bedroom, careful not to jostle the younger prince too badly. This had been the first day Loki had left the palace in a week's time and Thor was kicking himself for being the one to pull him along. He should have trusted his younger brother.

A small sigh escaped the god of thunder as he eased his brother into the bed. Loki was already drifting off, but had a deathgrip on Thor's sleeping shirt nevertheless. Large hands eased thinner fingers open and he squeezed them gently, setting the limp hand down to the bed before turning to make his way to the rooms closest to the healing chambers.

"Thor?"

The blond turned and noted the glassy look to his eyes and the red tint to his face. His brother reached out to him, looking strangely young. "Don't go," he pled, his voice strained.

"I need to fetch Master Rowen. I'll be right back."

"It'll pass," Loki promised, still trying to catch hold of Thor's fingers in his own. He finally did as his elder brother took a step closer. "Please stay."

Thor looked at the door, indecision pulling at him, but his brother's grip finally made him nod and ease down to the bed. Loki curled into him, using his shoulder as a pillow and the elder prince winced at the heat radiating off of the youth that usually was so cool to the touch. He found himself holding onto his brother, offering what little comfort he could, as they both fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

TBC

A/N: I really meant for this to be a one or a two-shot, but it may be three or four. I don't expect it to get as long as the others, but this is just how it's turning out lol. Can't argue with the characters. They tell the story, right? :)


	2. Part Two

**Part Two.**

Thor woke some hours later to his brother tossing and turning next to him. Loki had managed to kick all the covers from him at some point during the night, and now lay shivering, curled as tightly as his long limbs would allow, with his back to the elder prince. He had just settled into that position when he shifted again, unable to find a comfortable way to lie.

"Loki?" Thor whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder. His sleeping shirt was plastered to him with sweat and the closer the blond drew to him the more pronounced the wheezing sound was with each breath.

The thunderer shook him lightly, whispering his name. The call grew louder until he was nearly shouting at him, but the younger prince seemed trapped behind closed eyes and difficult breaths.

Thor stood hastily and started for the door. He needed to fetch Rowen, just as he should have hours before, but the small cry stopped him. He turned, thinking that he'd heard his name tumble from his brother's lips. Loki had turned towards where Thor had been just a moment before, still curled tightly with his eyes closed, but his thin hand was grasping at the bed sheets as if searching for him without ever quite waking.

A sigh escaped the blond as he weighed his options and finally returned to the bed to scoop his brother up. Loki would have had a fit had he been awake enough to know what was happening. He tried so very hard to hide his weaknesses from those around him, but Thor saw few options. It was the dead of night and finding a servant in this part of the palace at this hour to fetch the healing master was almost as unlikely as finding a bilgesnipe wandering the halls. He couldn't bring himself to wait until morning, either, as the younger prince seemed to only grow worse with time. He had not seen him this ill in many years.

Loki moaned softly in his arms as Thor made his way through the halls. Rowen's chambers, though the elder prince had only been to them once or twice, were the set nearest to the healing chambers. It was silent in that part of the palace and Thor's bare feet made little noise against marble floors. He hasn't bothered to change from his sleeping clothes when he'd left the royal family's hall into the main part of palace, but if he had bothered to take the time to think of it he wouldn't have cared. His focus was entirely on the limp figure in his arms.

He pounded on the door again and again, receiving a small reaction from Loki, but he did not wake even as Rowen pulled it open, face showing sure signs of deep sleep. The healer blinked at him, eyes shifting from Thor to his brother and a frown tugged at his lips. "Only a matter of time," he grumbled. "Get him into the healing rooms. I'll be along in a moment."

A moment felt like an eternity as Thor waited. He laid his brother down in the white sheets as gently as he could, taking hold of his hand. Green eyes blinking blurrily open and thin fingers gripped his.

Thor offered a smile. "How're you feeling?"

Loki didn't say anything as he grimaced, clutching his brother's hand just a little tighter.

The door opened, startling the blond and Rowen waved him out of the way, murmuring that while he knew Thor would not leave, he at least needed to be out if the way. The healer leaned over Loki, checking him and frowning the whole time. Green eyes followed him for a moment before fluttering closed again.

"What happened?"

Thor winced at the sharp tone. "I found him sick in his room a few hours ago. He's been getting worse."

"You should have brought him immediately. Or sent for me." He moved about the room mixing potions together without turning to look at the elder prince. "What could have been so important that you would risk this?"

"We wanted to go swimming," Thor admitted softly, the words sounding foolish even as they left his mouth. _He_ had wanted to go swimming. Loki had been a reluctant participant until they had actually reached the waters.

"There's a bowl next to you and the water should be chilled. Start trying to get his fever down."

Thor did as instructed, fully submerging a cloth into the water and his mind pulled to the afternoon. There had been more laughter between them, more fun and enjoyment than they had had in... well years, now that he thought on it. As they grew older and quiet uncertainties started fleshing out to be truths, the blond felt they had grown further apart. It wasn't that they had spoken of it, or even that perhaps anyone else would notice - Loki probably did not even give his elder brother the credit of noticing - and though they proved time and again that they were willing to give their lives for the other, there was less laughter between them and less joy. Loki settled in his corner with his studies and Thor sought after his battles. They had always been different, it was true, but the elder prince wasn't sure when that had started driving a wedge between them. They bickered often now, both quick to judge the other and neither very willing to give to find middle ground. That was why Thor had been so insistent in pulling Loki into his day of swimming. He was sure that nothing could go wrong and that they could enjoy each other's company as they had without worry in their youths.

"Thor?"

The thunderer found green eyes watching him again when he turned back and he moved the cool towel across his face. "Hmm?"

Loki looked as if he were trying to say something, but he couldn't quite get it out. Frustration shown in his eyes in that he couldn't seem to communicate what he wanted to say. Suddenly, Thor seemed to understand and he bent down and spoke softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

The trickster seemed to relax a bit at the whispered promise.

* * *

It wasn't long until the door opened to reveal a worried Frigga and a stoic Odin, both more disheveled than they ever prefered to show. Rowen, with Thor's help, had just gotten Loki into a small tub of iced water to try to lower his temperature when the Allfather and his wife entered. The healer sucked in a deep breath through his nose and murmured to Thor to make sure his younger brother didn't slip below the surface. The younger prince hadn't stirred since the last time his eyes had slipped closed.

Rowen moved into the hallway, shutting the door behind them. He looked worn. "They wanted to go _swimming_," he managed, running a hand across his face and back through his hair. "My king, you know I do not question your decisions often, but I must, I _beg_ you to consider explaining _why_ this happens each time. Neither boy would risk it if they simply understood the gravity of-"

"This is not a decision open for discussion," Odin said sharply. "Can you get the fever down?"

"I am working on it, my lord."

The Allfather sighed and Rowen did not miss the angry look his wife shot him at his next words. "Your messenger did not wake us, I fear. More trouble is about beyond the foolishness of our sons and their inability to heed advice given to them."

"_Odin_," Frigga hissed, but she bit her tongue at the look she received, though she did look ready to snap back at any instant. Instead she turned back towards the door. "I will put my attentions where they should be. With my _family_."

Odin shook his head, exasperated as they were left alone in the hall. "Do what you can for him, Rowen. Loki is not the only one this heat as affected. Fires are spreading down south of the city and many have are being caught in it. I leave on the morrow and will need Asgard's best healers with me."

Rowen felt himself stiffen. "If history is our teacher, my king, Loki's fever will not have broken in just a few short hours."

A single blue eyes shifted to the closed door, his wife and children on the other side. There was a sadness there, if only briefly before it was covered with determination and a clear sense of duty that seemed to shroud the king like the cape he often wore. "I know. I must ask you to make a choice, old friend. Perhaps one of your more advanced apprentices-"

"Nobody _knows_, my king, upon your order. It is a dangerous place to put him in the care of ignorant physicians. They will not understand the cause of the fever."

A low sound that may have been a frustrated growl came from the Allfather's throat and he clenched his jaw. "I... must ask you to make a difficult decision, Rowen, just as I must. When you came to my palace many years ago, I offered you assylum in exchange for your service as my lead healer. There are some things that duty binds us to that are more difficult than others. Many Asgardians will need you in the south."

"Your son needs me here, my lord."

"As I said, it is a heavy choice. I will need your answer in the morning, but for now I will see my son."

Rowen nodded numbly and followed his king into the room. He blinked, almost dazed, at the sight of Thor and Frigga getting Loki settled back into bed. The blond prince looked up. "You said to have him out after fifteen minutes."

"I did," the healer acknowledged. "Thank you."

Frigga offered her eldest a proud smile before kneeling down on the floor by the bedside of his younger brother. She touched his cheek gently, murmuring soft words to him and completely ignoring her husband as he stood.

"I'm sorry, Father," Thor managed. "He wouldn't have come if I hadn't asked."

"Perhaps the lesson will be learned this time," the Allfather said and came to stand with his family. He looked down at his second son and frowned. He hadn't meant for this to happen when he'd brought Loki home all those years ago. The spell he had cast on him as a babe did much to shield him, but no amount of magic could ever fully protect him from the weakness his birthplace had left him with.

"He looks so small," Frigga murmured sadly, hand still stroking his cheek and back to his hair. It was as if she feared he might slip away if she ceased. She turned a pleading look towards her husband, the anger overshadowed by the pained worry that filled her eyes.

He said nothing as he laid a hand down to the dark hair in a surprisingly gentle fashion. He turned his gaze towards her, a hint of what he might be feeling there, and Frigga thought, just for an instant, that he might offer her some hope. In the barest of movements he shook his head, pulled his hand away, and left the room in silence.

* * *

TBC

A/N: Angrbodagiantess and I were discussing how interesting the dynamic of this family is and how the boys view Odin and how Odin views his family etc etc... (I get into some of the coolest conversations with you guys! You really are the best reviewers ever!) The discussion, in general, was on how Thor and Loki often seem to brush off the fact that Odin holds so much power (we were discussing when Thor was yelling at him in Place Called Home) and how, perhaps, the boys seem to focus more on 'Odin is our father, he should act like a father' while Odin focuses on 'I am a king and this is where my responsibility lies'. I think it's a common theme in stories about royal families, Asgardians or human. any thoughts?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, I don't know how many of you would actually be interested in this, but I'd mentioned something about one of my original stories to GreenLoki in a PM conversation and she'd said she would be interested to read it. Not sure if anyone else feels that way, but I'm posting a snippet of it on my Tumblr account. I'm a bit paranoid about doing that, but I think it's a small enough scene that it won't be an issue. Anyway, if anyone wants to take a look, I'll probably be posting it there when I'm done uploading this. My Tumblr is under TakadaSaiko as well, so it's just takadasaiko dot tumblr dot com I'd love to hear what you think about Warren (the main character in the scene).

* * *

**Part Three**

Thor had never been keen on secrets. His brother kept them, certainly, and he had finally, after six centuries or so, mostly resigned himself to that. His brother was the one allowance that he made for it, therefore when his mother refused to divulge the reason for his father's behavior, a discomfort settled around him, looming at the edges of his mind like a monster biding its time to attack from the shadows.

Rowen too seemed off-put by some news that no one seemed to think the elder prince of Asgard should know. He moved with renewed haste when stirring potions and Thor was certain that it wasn't that Loki had gotten worse. In fact his younger brother seemed to be holding steady, fever neither breaking nor spiking. He slept on, oblivious to the tension around them and leaned up against the blond with one strong arm wrapped protectively around him. Thor couldn't explain the need to keep him so close, but he knew he sensed danger on some level, though he could not pinpoint it as they should have been in the safest place possible under present conditions.

So when his stillness and silence was mistook for sleep he did not correct them. He simply listened.

"You cannot be thinking of going," Frigga murmured softly.

Rowen sighed deeply. "I must consider it, my lady. You know the havoc something like this will bring on the villages down south. They're not constructed of sturdy materials as this city is and injuries will be severe." He paused, and sounded as if he'd returned to the small table where the mixtures lay spread out for his use.

"I know Odin has asked you to have one of your lead apprentices look after Loki, but couldn't you simply send your apprentices to do what you would in the south?"

"Loki's fevers, when caused my such an... obvious source, follow something of a pattern. My apprentices are just that: learners. Throw something they are not aware of in their direction and they may excell in it or they may freeze in panic. Odin knows this."

"There are other healers," Frigga pressed. "And the same argument might be made for his own son. Loki has not succumb to one of these fevers in many years. Who is to say what the pattern will be? When he was a child you thought he might even grow past it."

"I _had_ hoped he would adapt better," Rowen said sadly. "But you have hit on exactly why Odin has asked me specifically. You know that if he did not and word got out that he did not ask the man he had specifically chosen to lead his healers to come because of selfish reasons... As king he has an obligation to his people."

"Perhaps he could do with a bit more selfishness when it comes to his family," Frigga bit out, returning to the bedside. She spoke softly and Thor had to strain to hear her next words. "Strange, that there was a day that he could not leave Loki, but in these days he cannot stay, nor even risk his image to protect him."

"I must make my decision soon, my queen."

"And what will that be?"

"Honestly, that depends on where Loki stands. If he does not appear worse, I may have no choice but to go. I am duty bound to those that need me most, my lady."

Frigga looked sharply at him. "To hel with duty."

* * *

Morning dawned and brought the Allfather to the healing chambers with it. Frigga scowled by way of greeting, unwilling to speak. She could not change his mind, therefore she had nothing worth saying. There were many things she might have said, but they had all been said before. Perhaps he had never counted on the devotion of a mother to her child.

Odin spoke lowly with Rowen in the corner, away from listening ears. Loki had stirred into a dreamy sort of wakefulness some twenty minutes before, though his fever had not broken yet. It would take time, the healer advised, and a consistent delivery of medication and watchfulness. Could his apprentices do this? Yes, technically speaking, but should anything happen, should he take a turn for the worse, it would be difficult to say.

The Allfather listened with a grim and determined expression. "What is your decision?"

Rowen looked uncomfortable even as he nodded. "I go where I am needed, my lord."

"Very well. Prepare what you need. I require a moment alone with my son."

Odin waited until the room was clear, even ushering a very unhappy Thor out, before he took a knee next to the bed. Loki did not stir until one large hand covered his and green eyes blinked very slowly open. His usual sharp and studying gaze was glassed over, disrupted by the fog that the fever and medication left him in. He began to stir, obviously agitated by the lack of clarity, but his father moved to lay a gentle hand in his head, smoothing back dark hair and speaking in a low rumble. "Easy, son."

Loki seemed to relax a bit at the words and he let out a frustrated breath through his nose. "Too hot," he managed.

"I know. Perhaps swimming was not the wisest of decisions? I would have thought-" He paused, his younger son looking up at him desperately, rasping apologies falling from thin lips. Odin shushed him, trying to settle him. "It never fails that I will say the wrong thing to you," he confessed quietly. When he was certain that his second son had settled again, with his hand still resting against his feverish brow, he continued in the same low voice. "I know you most likely will not remember these words, my boy, but they are true."

Odin paused, feeling the words linger behind his usual mask of power and duty. He wasn't sure what kept them there, as green eyes had fluttered shut again. "Know that the decisions that I make are for Asgard and are made to keep the oath I swore when I took the throne. For myself, I want nothing more than to see you well." He stood slowly and leaned down to kiss his second son's forehead. "Be well, Loki."

Odin slipped out the door, nearly toppled as his elder son pushed past him. He turned a questioning look to his wife.

"I told him," Frigga said briskly. "He has a right to know."

"_What_ did you tell him?" the Allfather asked, hearing the unease in his own voice.

She snorted softly. "That you are taking Rowen with you, though _that_ also is a discussion that needs to be had." He began to turn away and she took hold of his arm, her grip strong and stalling him. "You continue to put it off, Odin. Someday he will find out and all of your lies will be laid bare."

"It is no lie to call him my son."

"Then, perhaps, you should remember that as you take away the one healer in all of Asgard that knows _why_ Loki cannot suffer the heat as the rest of us do."

He sighed heavily and shot her a pleading look. "And perhaps one day you may forgive me for what I must do."

"Perhaps."

* * *

Loki offered Thor an exhausted smile when his brother slipped back into the room. The blond returned it and retook his seat on the bed, pulling the younger prince so that he was leaned up against him in hopes of easing his breathing. He couldn't help but notice that Loki seemed warmer than before. He leaned back against him, his usual aversion to too much close contact forgotten.

"Father was here."

"Yes, I just saw him. How're you feeling, brother?"

"Too hot. Makes it hard..." He stopped, tensing against the elder prince and Thor felt a knot tighten in his chest. "...hard to breathe," he finished at last with a weak cough.

"I know," Thor answered quietly, loosening his hold for fear of causing more trouble for his younger brother.

The door opened and Frigga entered, catching her elder son's attention. She frowned at the look in his eyes.

"Will you sit with him for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

Loki felt Thor slipping out from behind him and tried to turn to see. "Thor?"

"I'll be back, Loki."

"Where?"

"I'm going to go fetch Master Rowen." He turned towards their mother, his expression serious and determined. She offered a nod of understanding and he left without another word.

* * *

TBC

A/N: So... originally this was just going to be a short one or two shot, but somehow it's managed to turn into a study of the Asgardian royal family.


	4. Part Four

**Part Four.**

* * *

Thor had thought it pointless when a servant had brought him clothes to change to a few hours before, but now that he was on his way to the stables he was grateful. His mind whirled as he walked so fast he'd nearly begun to run. He had to find a way to convince Master Rowen and his father that Loki's life would be safer in the hands of the lead healer rather than an apprentice.

He rounded the corner to the stables, nearly running over a guard as he dodged between them, gaining the immediate attention of both king and healer.

Odin froze. "Thor, has something happened?"

"He's worse. He can't breathe and I know that his fever is higher. Please, Master Rowen, I know that these people need your help, but so does Loki."

Rowen glanced to Odin, his lips straight in a tight grimace. After a moment he pulled his medical bag from the horse and called Freya to him from where she had been packing another horse before going in to follow his instructions with Loki.

"Yes, Master Rowen?"

"I need to ask a great deal from you, Freya, but I believe you're ready for it."

Thor felt a small relief as the healer explained that he needed Freya to take over for him in the south. He explained in detail many kinds of wounds that she should expect and how to handle them. She took the information in, soaking it up like a sponge and nodding. Finally, when he'd finished, he turned his attention to the waiting king. "My lord-"

Odin held a hand up to stop him. "You go where you are needed," he echoed the earlier words. He glanced to his son, but neither said a word as the Allfather mounted his horse to leave for the fires in the south.

* * *

Rowen worked tirelessly with Loki who had slipped back into unconsciousness, his fever spiking and he seemed to fight against demons in his dreams, only settling when his brother was near.

More times than not, Thor and Frigga stood to the side, watching as Rowen mixed potions, fill the tub with ice water, ease the younger prince into it, and then take him out again. He repeated the actions several times, the hours stretching on until he finally sank tiredly into a chair in the corner.

"He feels a little cooler," Thor offered from his place with his younger brother leaned up against him.

"I won't be comfortable saying that his fever is breaking until it has," the healer murmured.

It seemed an endless repetition to Thor. Loki's fever would lower, and then just as they thought it would break, it would spike again and leave him curled and shivering. Days past in this way, the blond prince only leaving his beother's side out if necessity, and each time that he was forced to he would hear a small sound follow him, a not-quite-awake mumbling of his name and often he would return to try to sooth him into an easier sleep once more.

He wasn't sure the exact time of day as he'd lost track of them in the pattern that they had fallen into, but it felt like morning when he woke, finding green eyes staring at him in a clearer fashion than he had seen in some time. Thor blinked, sleep still clinging to him, and when he realized it wasn't a dream a smile broke out across his face. He reached a large hand forward, cupping the side of Loki's face and finding it cool.

"I feel like I've been sleeping a while," the younger prince said, his voice rough from disuse.

"A while," Thor agreed, barely able to contain his excitement. It only took a moment before he gave into it and took hold of his younger, pulling him into a crushing embrace.

To Loki's credit, he did not squirm away, but instead simply shifted so that he could make eye contact again. "What happened?" he asked seriously.

"The swimming trip did not go as well as we'd thought."

"Ah," his brother answered. "How long have I been out?"

"A week, perhaps? It's difficult to say,"

Loki looked ready with a quip over Thor's short term memory, but he seemed to realize what he meant. "Have you been here the _whole_ time?"

The blond nodded and his brother felt a large arm move protective around him again. He forced himself to stay still, just as Thor had, apparently, done for him in the past few days. He had a hard time picturing the thunderer lying around all day with him when he himself was not injured or ill, but the stiffness of his movements validated that there was no amount of exaggeration on Thor's part.

"Mother's been here as well," Thor offered when Loki had gone quiet. "We've been worried."

"I'm sorry to have worried you," Loki said softly.

The door opened and Friggs slipped in, eyes instantly lighting up at the sight of of both boys on the bed awake and speaking clearly. She seemed to barely touch the floor as she moved over, taking a seat on the edge next to Loki and smiling at the coolness if his skin. She leaned over, pressing a kiss to his brow. "Hello, my sweet boy."

Loki shifted, Thor finally releasing him as he pushed himself up carefully on shaky arms. He sat still for a moment, collecting himself. He hasn't realized just how much it had taken out of him. When the moment had passed he turned to look at his mother, his eyes sharp as ever and she could see the questions there before he spoke. "I don't understand it," he said at last. "I've never met another person in Asgard so affected by the heat as I am. Surely Master Rowen was able to isolate-"

Frigga offered a strained smile, touching his cheek. "He has always said is an oddity, my dear."

"But if we could find out what causes the oddity I could certainly find a spell or a charm to counter it," the young sorcerer said thoughtfully.

"There is not a charm or spell for everything," his mother answered quietly.

"Yes, but-"

Her sigh stopped him, a strained expression washing over her. "There is not an answer to everything in the worlds, my love."

Loki shot her a look to say he didn't believe she meant that for a moment. She had always encouraged him to study and search for any answers that he did not have readily available to him. She had tried to install the same curiosity in Thor as well, but it seemed his attention span was too short and his younger brother too willing to explain so that he did not often bother with the searching as Loki did. Her words did not make sense to him, but in the end her younger son decided that perhaps his mind was not fully back up to speed and he filed it away in his memory to approach the subject later.

Frigga kissed him again. "Your father has returned today," she told them both.

Loki tilted his head, trying to remember if he had known Odin to have left.

"Then everything is well?" Thor asked.

Their mother nodded. "I will send him in to you after I speak with him. I dare say he'll want to see you feeling so much better."

Neither boy mentioned that her words didn't match her tone and Loki thought that he must have missed more as he slept than he realized.

* * *

He had sent a servant ahead to let Frigga know the moment that he arrived, with full detail that after ten terrible days the fires were contained enough that he had been able to return. At the end of the dictation he made sure that the servant had known to ask after his second son's health.

But the servant did not return, instead the quiet sound of Frigga's footsteps in the hallway alerted the Allfather of her coming. Odin's exhaustion won him no favour in his wife's eyes and he felt her judgment fall heavily against him as she approached.

"How is he?"

Frigga stopped directly in front of him. She had never been intimidated by the power, and that had been one of the many qualities that had originally attracted Odin to her. She had always spoken her mind and was often the voice of reason amongst that grounded him. If he let her.

It was the moments when he did not let her that he often regretted the most.

She swung out at him, hand striking against his bearded cheek hard enough to leave a mark. "I hope you're proud of your tangled web, Odin Borson, because for you I've lied to one of the few people that should always hear the truth from my mouth."

Odin did not move and she took his silence as listening.

"Mark my words, the older he gets, the further this terrible trench of lies is dug. There will be a day when he finds out and it won't be from us, then have you thought what that will do? What does a child think when he is lied to all of his years? He questions everything!"

The Allfather remained silent until he knew she was done. "And that is my burden to worry over. I have my reasons, you know this. I wish to keep him safe, as I have since the moment that I first held him."

"All your protections have done nothing! He only just-"

The halls were empty, but Odin lowered his voice anyway. "And if it were to get out? Do you think that the men who lost brothers, the women that lost their husbands, our boys' _friends_ who may have even lost parents to that terrible war... Do you think they would treat him kindly? Do you think that, all forbid, anything ever happened to Thor after my end that they would let Loki sit on the throne with that knowledge?

"So you _have_ made your decision on that."

Odin gave a frustrated growl. "I know you have never thought me as kind to our second son as to our first, and I will admit to often being at a loss to understanding him, though you never seem to be." He paused, reaching out to her in a pleading manner. "But I love him and... I ask that you trust me that I have his interest in mind."

"I hate lying to him," she said in a deflated tone.

"Then say nothing of it and give him your love as you always have. I will deal with the consequences if they ever should need dealing with. Now how is he?"

"Better. He woke this morning with his fever finally broken."

"That long? It is a good thing that Rowen stayed after all."

"Thor never left his side."

Odin did not miss the pride in her voice. He remembered a long-ago fear when he had first brought Loki home. She'd thought that Thor might not take well to a new baby brother, but the devotion between them had grown, and even though they squabbled often they were, in the end, inseparable when it counted.

"His brother needed him," the Allfather said as they stepped into the hallway and towards the healing room Loki was in. He pushed open the door to see his eldest standing in the middle of the room, arms flying in some spectacular display of a story, and Loki sitting up in the bed, still pale and worn in appearance, but laughing heartily at his brother. Both sets of eyes turned.

"Father!" Loki called, looking a bit sheepish at the outburst seconds after it had left his lips.

Odin smiled at him and the embarrassment seemed to wash away as he approached, motioning for Loki to make room and he sat on the edge of the bed. Thor seemed hesitant at first, but he rarely was known for holding a grudge long. He landed on the end of the bed, all his pent up energy from the week and a half of quiet and worry bubbling over.

"Thor said something had happened that you had to see to urgently."

Odin found those green eyes that he knew well studying him, but he decided that the dark haired prince seemed to know little about it. "Yes, it's taken care of now." He glanced at Frigga who was watching with guarded approval. "I hurried home as quickly as my duties allowed. How are you feeling, son?"

"Better. I think perhaps the swimming trip was taken in poor judgement."

Odin's words that he had begun to speak just before he'd left rattled around in his memory, as did his ill son's reaction to them and he wondered if perhaps he had, looking at the expression that the youth wore now, somehow left an imprint of disappointment over the actions in his mind. He reached up, finding it strange that though his boys were reaching adulthood that his hand could seem so large next to his youngest, and ruffled dark hair in a rare display of affection. "I'd rather us worry about making sure you are fully well than dwelling on what cannot be changed."

Loki smiled at this, more at ease with the words. Odin did not rush to leave, but stayed, speaking with his children until his youngest drifted off to sleep and his eldest eased himself off the bed, far too restless to stay put. Their father, though, did not move right away, but sat and watched the dark haired prince even as he felt Frigga's thin hand on his shoulder.

"He needs this, you know. He needs to know you care."

"Of course I care," Odin replied gruffly. "Isn't that the discussion we had on our way here?"

Frigga smiled and kissed his cheek, the one she had reddened some hours before. "Loki is not Thor, my love. He must hear it from time to time. He must see it. He won't simply assume."

The king of Asgard let out a long breath through his nose and settled in to stay a while longer.

* * *

END

A/N: One shot, four-shot... You know. It happens. =)

Many thanks to all of you awesome reviewers and readers. I'm hoping to get started on the next story soon, but it may not be until Monday. We'll see...


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